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“I think Jeff is going to be OK,” Muschamp said. “I don’t think it’s a bad ankle (sprain). You never know. We’ll look at the injury report today and find out more.”

Driskel will be evaluated throughout the week. On his Twitter account, Driskel wrote, “Thanks for all the prayers #gatornation Im gonna be fine!”

Driskel sprained his ankle late in the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette and did not return. Fellow true sophomore Jacoby Brissett came off the bench and helped rally the Gators to a stunning 27-20 victory.

Brissett threw a 3-yard TD pass to wide receiver Quinton Dunbar to tie the game with only 1:42 remaining. The score came the play after Brissett completed a 39-yard pass to tight end Jordan Reed.

“I’m really proud of Jacoby Brissett, coming in,” Muschamp said. “That’s a very difficult situation, middle of a drive and you come in. I’m very proud of him, especially late in the game, hitting Jordan down the middle to put us in a situation to tie the score.”

Brissett was in a tight race for the starting role at quarterback throughout the preseason and he and Driskel shared playing time in the opener. After that game, Driskel was named the starter.

Muschamp has commended Brissett for the way he has handled his situation and has reminded him throughout the season that he’s only a snap away from being the No. 1 quarterback.

That snap occurred Saturday when Driskel turned his ankle on a running play.

“I had to make sure that I came out and did what I had to do,” Brissett said. “It’s hard to stay on track (when you’re not playing). The motivation part is hard. But the one-snap-away thing is really real.

“I have to take it with me in the locker room and with me when I go watch film every day, and make sure I’m out on the practice field every day (being involved) and not just standing around waiting for my next rep.”

Brissett’s TD pass tied the game, then the UF special teams won it when cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy blocked a punt that was caught by outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins and returned 36 yards for a touchdown with only two seconds left.

“We managed the game very well at the end of the half, going down and getting that score, and we managed the end of the game very well,” Muschamp said. “Our football team was composed. They understood the situation, what we needed to do. We used our final timeout well and (special teams coordinator) D.J. Durkin put our players in a great situation to block the punt.”

Muschamp said the Gators found themselves in a precarious situations in the fourth quarter because of penalties and other mistakes in execution.

“We hurt ourselves too much in the game,” he said. “We kept (UL) in the game. We’ve got to play better.”

Like they have done in some other games this season, the Gators did not play their best, but found a way to secure the victory. UF is now 9-1 heading into Saturday’s home finale against Jacksonville State, with a chance to go to 10-1 heading into the FSU game in two weeks.

“Our football team has a lot of resolve,” Muschamp said. “They play for each other. There were a lot of questions when I first came here about the character and the entitlement and all of those issues.

“I know one thing, I’ll take that locker room over anybody. This is a football team that’s got heart, desire, discipline, toughness — all the things you have got to have to have a good football team.

“We’ve just got to clean some things up as far as our decision-making on the field, and we’ll be fine.”

Driskel is not the only injured starter who could return this week. Two starting offensive linemen who missed Saturday’s game — tackle Xavier Nixon (knee) and guard James Wilson (ankle) — could be ready to go for the Jacksonville State game.

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.

<p>Florida starting quarterback Jeff Driskel's sprained ankle does not appear serious and there is a chance he could return this week, UF coach Will Muschamp said on his television show Sunday.</p><p>“I think Jeff is going to be OK,” Muschamp said. “I don't think it's a bad ankle (sprain). You never know. We'll look at the injury report today and find out more.”</p><p>Driskel will be evaluated throughout the week. On his Twitter account, Driskel wrote, “Thanks for all the prayers #gatornation Im gonna be fine!”</p><p>Driskel sprained his ankle late in the third quarter of Saturday's game against Louisiana-Lafayette and did not return. Fellow true sophomore Jacoby Brissett came off the bench and helped rally the Gators to a stunning 27-20 victory.</p><p>Brissett threw a 3-yard TD pass to wide receiver Quinton Dunbar to tie the game with only 1:42 remaining. The score came the play after Brissett completed a 39-yard pass to tight end Jordan Reed.</p><p>“I'm really proud of Jacoby Brissett, coming in,” Muschamp said. “That's a very difficult situation, middle of a drive and you come in. I'm very proud of him, especially late in the game, hitting Jordan down the middle to put us in a situation to tie the score.”</p><p>Brissett was in a tight race for the starting role at quarterback throughout the preseason and he and Driskel shared playing time in the opener. After that game, Driskel was named the starter.</p><p>Muschamp has commended Brissett for the way he has handled his situation and has reminded him throughout the season that he's only a snap away from being the No. 1 quarterback.</p><p>That snap occurred Saturday when Driskel turned his ankle on a running play.</p><p>“I had to make sure that I came out and did what I had to do,” Brissett said. “It's hard to stay on track (when you're not playing). The motivation part is hard. But the one-snap-away thing is really real.</p><p>“I have to take it with me in the locker room and with me when I go watch film every day, and make sure I'm out on the practice field every day (being involved) and not just standing around waiting for my next rep.”</p><p>Brissett's TD pass tied the game, then the UF special teams won it when cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy blocked a punt that was caught by outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins and returned 36 yards for a touchdown with only two seconds left.</p><p>“We managed the game very well at the end of the half, going down and getting that score, and we managed the end of the game very well,” Muschamp said. “Our football team was composed. They understood the situation, what we needed to do. We used our final timeout well and (special teams coordinator) D.J. Durkin put our players in a great situation to block the punt.”</p><p>Muschamp said the Gators found themselves in a precarious situations in the fourth quarter because of penalties and other mistakes in execution.</p><p>“We hurt ourselves too much in the game,” he said. “We kept (UL) in the game. We've got to play better.”</p><p>Like they have done in some other games this season, the Gators did not play their best, but found a way to secure the victory. UF is now 9-1 heading into Saturday's home finale against Jacksonville State, with a chance to go to 10-1 heading into the FSU game in two weeks.</p><p>“Our football team has a lot of resolve,” Muschamp said. “They play for each other. There were a lot of questions when I first came here about the character and the entitlement and all of those issues.</p><p>“I know one thing, I'll take that locker room over anybody. This is a football team that's got heart, desire, discipline, toughness — all the things you have got to have to have a good football team.</p><p>“We've just got to clean some things up as far as our decision-making on the field, and we'll be fine.”</p><p>Driskel is not the only injured starter who could return this week. Two starting offensive linemen who missed Saturday's game — tackle Xavier Nixon (knee) and guard James Wilson (ankle) — could be ready to go for the Jacksonville State game.</p><p><i>Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.</i></p>